A study using a Bayesian statistical framework finds that if the search for extrasolar biosignatures, in the scope achievable in the next two decades, yields positive results, human understanding of the occurrence of extrasolar life would be vastly increased, suggesting that the number of inhabited planets in the galaxy may be more than 105, exceeding the number of pulsars; a negative result, however, would leave understanding of life in the galaxy largely unchanged, according to the authors.
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Article #20-07560: "Quantifying the information impact of future searches for exoplanetary biosignatures," by Amedeo Balbi and Claudio Grimaldi.
MEDIA CONTACT: Amedeo Balbi, University of Rome Tor Vergata, ITALY; e-mail: amedeo.balbi@roma2.infn.it ; Claudio Grimaldi, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, SWITZERLAND; e-mail: claudio.grimaldi@epfl.ch
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences